Harajuku Lovers Wicked Style 2010

February 24, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 10 Comments

Post by Katrina

Harajuku Lovers Wicked Style 2010

Harajuku Lovers is the perfume brand of the talented Gwen Stefani

Photo Stolen Flickr

While I don’t wear these perfumes much I absolutely adore this collection. The five perfumes in the collection are simple, fun and easy to wear and the Harajuku Lovers Wicked Style figurine bottles are cute and funky. My set came in the ‘ultra-luxury shopping mall’ case where G sits on the ‘catwalk crosswalk’, Love in a boutique, Lil’Angel in the News Stand, Baby in the Crepe Stand and Music is of course in the Music Shop.

All fragrance notes sourced from Fragrantica.

Wicked Style G by Christelle Laprade

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Top: Apple, peach, pineapple
Heart: Watermelon, tuberose, peony
Base: Raspberry, musk, aquatic accords.

The top notes of Wicked Style G are sweet, fruity and crisp. The floral notes are quite heavy in contrast and combine with sandalwood and a little musk. G is the most ‘grown up’ fragrance in the set.

Wicked Style Love by Maurice Roucel

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Top: Nectarine notes, mango, pear
Heart: Orange blossom, lotus , violet, osmanthus
Base: Blond wood, musk, sandalwood, praline, patchouli

Wicked Style Love smells like grape flavoured bubble gum. A strong burst of violet comes and goes and a little patchouli wafts in the background. Mostly it’s sweet grape fading to warm base notes.

Wicked Style Lil Angel by Celine Barel

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Top: Plum, champagne, bergamot, pomelo
Heart: Lotus, rose leaf, water lily
Base: Sateen wood, amber, musk

In Lil Angel Wicked I smell sweet plum and berries. The perfume sparkles with champagne and citrus. Lil Angel includes lovely florals and the water lily gives it a clean, fresh feel. The perfume dries down to musk and woods.

Lil Angel is my favourite of the Wicked Style perfume but sadly it doesn’t have much lasting power.

Wicked Style Music by Adriana Medina

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Top: Apple notes, juicy fruit
Heart: Bergamot, jasmine, gardenia, fuchsia, peony
Base: Cedar, musk, amber

Music is less sweet than the other wicked style perfumes. I don’t smell much fruit at all. Wicked Style Music is powdery floral perfume with a woody base.

Wicked Style Baby by Honorine Blanc

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Top: White peach, apple, freesia
Heart: Frangipani, orchids, jasmine
Base: Amber, musk, vanilla, sandalwood

Wicked Style Baby smells like marshmallows. There is vanilla and a powdery musk but it is not as sweet as you may expect.

The fruity notes are kept low key but the florals are distinct without being too strong. The florals are short-lived but the powdery musk base lasts a long time making this the longest lasting Wicked Style fragrance.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Further reading: Review of Harajuku Lovers Wicked Style Lil Angel at Musings of a Muse
FragranceNet sells the Wicked Style fragrances individually from $11/10ml
Surrender To Chance has the original Harajuku Lovers samples starting at $3/ml

For more celebrity perfume news and reviews please pop over to Celebrity Perfume Store

Thanks

Katrina xx

U4eahh! 2.43 by Yosh Han for Yosh

February 23, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 12 Comments

Hey Niche Nerds,

I don’t know where this little sample vial on a card came from. It was in a bag of frags that I’d put together because they were in dab vials and I have to decant them into spritzers before use. I think other things came into the house and this bag got pushed to the back of the list. There has been little love for this particular scent and I only had 1ml sample size so you are getting a review on the second wear because I’ve run dry here but wanted to get some thoughts on paper, or blog as it may be, for my own memory. Sorry to make you eddying flotsam in my stream of consciousness, enjoy the ride.

U4eahh! 2.43 by Yosh Han for Yosh

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Pomegranate, pear, cucumber, water lily, aloe vera

JUICY!! I smell the pear! also the aloe vera and water. Sweet, like a pear lolly might be, so sweet my teeth are getting little furry booties but honestly I quite like it. GASP! What’s happening to me? Am I learning to like fruity florals? The pomegranate adds a delicious snap of tartness that really resembles a pear and pomegranate salad, all they need to add is some rocket/arugula and some parmesan cheese shavings and I would be in HEAVEN. Though I am enjoying the super sweet and fun ride, can imagine many people becoming addicted to it and think it’s a well done piece of perfumery there is little chance I would spritz it if I had more.

Photo Stolen Flickr

My mind keeps thinking of young women ready for a fun night out, getting all dressed up to the nines and spritzing like crazy as they run out the door to a night of madness and meyhem. There’s something very new me, fresh, flirty and expectant about U4eahh! The bottle in the picture looks like a splash/dab bottle (the oil) and that makes me a bit sad, this should be spritzed with abandon and feel like lavish luxury.

Around the 4 hour mark I’m left with a sacharine sweetness that has no real smell to me, I think the musks here are ones I’m anosmic to. It does have a very fake sugary vibe though and I am less than enjoying it. My skin amps sweet and in U4EAHH! it has become sweet to the point of nasty.

Photo Stolen Pixabay

Further reading: Katie Puckrik Smells and The Olfactorialist
LuckyScent has EdP $110/50ml

There is also a Perfume Oil of U4EAHH!

Have you tried this line? U4EAHH? How was it for you?
Portia xx

Fleur d'Oranger 27 by Francoise Caron for Le Labo 2006

February 22, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 18 Comments

Heya All,

I have had this little stash of Le Labo since May 2013. A small crew of us went up to the Venice, LA store and were treated like royalty there. I purchased a couple of the small bottles which I’ll tell you about another time but the sweet manager of the store gave me some samples to take with me and I, churlish frag glutton that I am, never got to the samples. Well, now I have…

Fleur d’Oranger 27 by Francoise Caron for Le Labo 2006

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Orange blossom, petitgrain, bergamot and lemon

Opening with a zing of citrus, obviously, I find Fleur d’Oranger 27 to be a wonderful, fresh and fun cologne style scent. It is all pettigrain and bergamot for a moment and then it gets a soft orange blossom breathiness that at the same time is pithy and dry. This is smiley, happy juice and I feel invigorated and refreshed. There it stays for a while, pretty and sweet, slightly worn.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

As it wears on Fleur d’Oranger 27 becomes a bit bead head-ish and it NEVER smells at all cleaning fluid-esque. Great maintenance of the citrus throughout and there is something vegetal/herbal that isn’t explained in the notes and I have no idea what it could be, and I also get a prickling of spice, again no idea. I wish I had more to tell you but other than the spice and green-ness which comes and goes I basically get citrus from beginning to end. It smells good and I have enjoyed Fleur d’Oranger 27 but if you need massive development, a story, then you will be sad. Especially for the price. If though you want to smell like a happy burst of citrus for around 4-5 hours then Fleur d’Oranger 27 could be the one for you.

Further reading: Bois de Jasmin and Best Things In Beauty
LuckyScent has $160/50ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4.25/ml

What is your Le Labo fave? Do you like Orange blossom as a note in general or does it send you screaming, reminded of toilets and dish washing liquids?
See you tomorrow,
Portia xx

Absolue Pour Le Soir by Maison Francis Kurkdjian 2010

February 20, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 48 Comments

Post by Chairman Meaow

What do I know about Francis Kurkdjian and his work? Very little. I know that he’s a wiz with orange flower. That he is large on talent, not so much, perhaps, on affability towards perfumistas. I had ordered a set of samples from his house some time back, given each a cursory sniff, and decided that he was the creator of pretty and well constructed, if not entirely memorable perfumes. And with that, Francis Kurkdjian was relegated to the recycling heap of my olfactory landscape.

Absolue Pour Le Soir by Maison Francis Kurkdjian 2010

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Maison Francis Kurkdjian lists the following accords on its website:
Benzoin from Siam, Bulgarian and Iranian rose, honey, incense absolute, ylang ylang, cumin, Atlas cedar and sandalwood

With the first huff, it was as if I had sat under the bodhi tree and received my perfumed awakening. All the references to rutting animals, bodily secretions, hind quarters and nether regions, things that I had read about but had yet not experienced to any meaningful degree, things that sounded repugnant and intriguing in equal measures, were all there, fleshed out in Absolue Pour Le Soir.

It started out innocently enough – some liquored rose, sandalwood, and soft, sweet honey. But wait, reader. It’s like that scene from that old comedy The Jerk where Steve Martin takes a long, slow swipe of Bernadette Peters’ cheek with his tongue. You just know that in a few moments, when the spittle starts to dry, things are going to start to get a bit smelly.

Photo Stolen WikiMedia

Sure enough, the honey soon ripened, and started to acquire the tang of a pee-stained bus shelter. Absolue Pour Le Soir then took a turn for the bestial, and I had flashbacks of my dear departed cat, back arched and derriere quivering, fanning the scent of her backside as she lovingly slapped my face about with her tail. I smelled camels, whose scent had always struck me as being a little earthy, a little salty, and a little chocolaty. And underpinning all of this was an erotically charged, sweaty-musky whiff. A little later came the quite smoulder of incense, dampening the growl a touch.

Gott-im-Himmel. It was stunning.
I turned to the hovering sales assistant.
“This one doesn’t sell very well, does it?”
“No. It’s not very nice.”

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

I meandered into another shop and found that I had to severely limit my arm movements, lest my fellow shoppers catch wind of the scent and gain the impression that I had been caressing the butt crack of my local friendly hobo. And I realised with a pang that I wouldn’t have the confidence to wear this beauty out and about, this anathema to the masses, with their penchant for sterile odours.
Perhaps I’ll just content myself with dabbing discreetly. It can be my dirty little secret.

Did you? Have you? Would you? I mean, really………..

L'Eau d'Ambree by Daniela (Roche) Andrier for Prada 2009

February 19, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Post by ElizaD

A perfume. Not a study, not an irony, not an invitation, or memoir, or a response. A perfume. A “your skin but better” plain old perfume. Friends, I give you

L’Eau d’Ambree by Daniela (Roche) Andrier for Prada 2009

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Amalfi lemon, citruses
Heart: May rose, patchouli
Base: Amber, oppoponax, vanilla

L’Eau Ambree seems to be the forgotten child of the Prada line, which is unfortunate because it is a lovely, soft and warm, comfortable sweater of a scent. Not loud and boastful, yet still elegant enough to wear for many different occasions. I first learned about it from Katie Puckrik, one of the funniest perfume vloggers around.

It was created by Daniela Andrier as were Infusion D’Iris in 2007 and Candy in 2011. I have tried all three and like them for different reasons: Infusion D’Iris is a lovely iris scent, and is a little sharper but more powdery; Candy has the same sweet balsam notes with warm musk and that wonderful caramel that makes me want to drench myself in it before cuddling; but for me, L’eau Ambree is the Goldilocks just right version–just the right amount of sweet and skin, but not too come hither or too standoffish.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

The top notes dissipate quickly on my skin, settling into the heart and dry down very quickly. In fact, this is one scent where I am not striving with every inhale to determine what is where. It just works. And in this world of too much information, too much stimulus, too much too much, that is what makes this scent so reassuring. Plus, it’s one perfume that I never mind smelling on my clothes the day after.

Photo Stolen Flickr

You can get L’Eau Ambree for a decent price. It comes in the complete line of layering options, from EdP to shower gel. Sillage is moderate and longevity is about 4 hours. Carry a rollerball and reapply if necessary. I also have layered this on top of Jovan’s White Musk to give it greater longevity.

Further reading: Daly Beauty and Now Smell This
FragranceNet has $40/30ml
My Perfume Samples start at $2/ml

What’s your comfortable sweater all occasion perfume?

Lovely by Laurent Le Guernec and Clement Gavarry for Sarah Jessica Parker 2005

February 18, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

Post by Ainslie Walker

Last year I read Chandler Burr’s book “A Year In The Perfume Industry, which I highly recommend. The book follows, every second chapter, Jean-Claude Ellena, in Paris, creating a new fragrance for Hermes…every other chapter takes us to New York, in 2005, where Sarah Jessica Parker is ‘art directing’ the development of her first fragrance, with the help of Laurent Le Guernec and Clement Gavarry from Coty. The book does far more than, but helps the reader to understand how perfumes go from someone’s idea, right through to sitting on the shelves in the mass market. It is jam packed with history, ingredients, methods etc etc. A must read!

Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker 2005

Laurent Le Guernec and Clement Gavarry

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Nectarine, bergamot, rosewood, lavender, apple martini
Heart: White daffodil, orchid, orchid, patchouli
Base: Amber, cedar, woody notes, salt, white musk.

That brought me to actually smelling Sarah Jessica Parker’s “Lovely” – something I would NEVER have tried, as my preconceived ideas of it being massmarket/cheap/celeb etc etc kept me well away. My curiosity got the best of me, and I was intrigued however as the starting idea was Sarah’s favourite mix of scents which included Egyptian musk oil, a cheap drugstore scent and and expensive fragrance.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

On first whiff I can really smell the Egyptian and white musks…this develops on skin over time and is a sexy, sultry intriguing part of the fragrance. There’s a touch of patchouli and spice adding to this which makes it sexy-cooling. I am also hit with some major ‘fresh and clean’ notes. Like a breezy layer on top of the sultry base. Reminiscent of the scent of shampoos I used as a kid…apple, orange, lavender, possibly a little peachy. Pretty, feminine, but somehow managing a womanly feel.

I feel like it has given me flashbacks of the bodyshop scents we wore in the 80s/90’s, first body lotions, special soaps, hairspray and the perfumes which came as part of make up sets. (Maybe a few cheaper ingredients in this one.) Descriptions and reviews mention woody, in particular cedar – I don’t get much…maybe some sandalwood…maybe a little cedar after 30mins or so.

Descriptions also mention addition of a ‘martini’ note…I’m not sure if that’s just marketing, but I agree, there is some subtle, salt/savoury edge (maybe a dirty martini) that keeps the sweet, clean musky frag from spreading too far and taking over a room, or in fact from being too ‘lovely’, and gives it more classy-sparkle. I’d call it a fresh floral musk, but putting my finger on which flower exactly deems almost impossible!! Rosewood? It is like a lighter version of Agent Provocateur’s first fragrance, less naughty, and without the depth.

Photo Stolen ShoppingHeavenDotNet

This fragrance is comfy, distinct and still classic in some way…wear it like your favourite jeans and heels combo, for any occasion, when you want to feel feminine AND comfortable.

Further reading: Scents Memory and Now Smell This
Fragrance Shop has $21/50ml
My Perfume Samples start at $2/ml

A 30ml bottle cost me $21. I almost DIED. At that price it is not only LOVELY but super affordable too. The packaging is so cute and great to throw in your handbag for use throughout the day as a top up. I am sure it would be great layered under or over some richer scents, especially with scents that don’t have much staying power…this one lingers and could in theory help hold those – have a play and let me know what works for you.

Ainslie Walker XXX

Stella by Jacques Cavallier for Stella McCartney 2003

February 17, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 14 Comments

Post by Maya

Hello APJ,

I have very little interest in most celebrity scents. I know it’s not fair and I am probably missing some very good fragrances, but there are too many out there and others interest me a lot more. Perfume is a thing of emotions and sometimes visual images for me. It appeals to senses other than smell, which is part of it’s beauty. It can evoke memories. It can awaken feelings. It can create new or revive old visual images. It can create or change a mood. Each scent does something different. Once in a while, I perceive a fragrance as color/s.

Stella by Jacques Cavallier for Stella McCartney 2003

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Tangerine, rose, peony, amber

I tried Stella by Stella McCartney out of simple curiosity and I’m glad I did. It is a scent that I see as shades of pink with a bit of bright yellow in it. It’s uncomplicated and demands nothing. There are times when that is exactly what I want. I also like that the rose smells natural, not artificial. On my skin, Stella opens as a bright rose with wisps of amber floating up. There are some subtle hints of barely-there mandarin. The amber warms up slightly as the scent progresses but the rose stays strong.

Photo Stolen UK in France Flickr

This is a spring and summer perfume for me. It’s bright sunshine and light. Stella is uplifting and cheerful and yes, pretty. I like to wear it when I’m out and about – shopping, doing errands, meeting a friend for lunch. I would actually wear it just about anywhere and I do. It’s one of my go-to perfumes.

After about 5 hours, it fades somewhat. It’s still there, but much closer to the skin and lingers for about another 3 hours. I can spritz and forget about it, knowing I will be surrounded by a lovely scent that is unlikely to offend anyone. I should add an interesting aside: to my nose, this is a true ROSE perfume, but several friends say that to them it’s a light floral and they can’t pick out any individual flowers including roses. They all like it though.

Photo Stolen DeviantArt

Further reading: Now Smell This
Beauty Encounter has $82/50ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $3/ml

Do you have any fun, easy to wear, go-to perfumes?

Maya x

Patchouli Intense by Patricia de Nicolai for Parfums de Nicolaï 2009

February 14, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 9 Comments

Hoiya Perfumed Peeps,

Going through my stuff in the cleanup I came across dozens of samples and manufacturers carded stuff that never got a sniff. I don’t know hot this one got overlooked, it’s on a huge card with beautiful pictures and this from Patricia de Nicolaï: Patchouli oil is an essential oil of great importance in my perfumer’s palette. Among all woody notes, it is the most sensuous. Here I wanted to work with patchouli in a very unusual way, with an accord rose-geranium, on a deep amber vanilla and incense body.

Patchouli Intense by Patricia de Nicolai for Parfums de Nicolaï 2009

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Patchouli, oakmoss, bergamot and musk

Oooh sizzling citrus rush at the open and then quickly it calms to a green, woodsy, earthy scent. No Essential Oil style patchouli from the oil burner here folks. This is forest floor in the just warming, still brisk weather. Sunlight dappled meanderings with no destination till tea time. Pretty and unisex, I can imagine Patchouli Intense could become very addictive if smelled on a new partner or someone you have recently met. It must be the combination of oakmoss and patchouli that gives such a parkland woods feeling. Though there are no flowers named I get some distinctly floral leanings mixed in too, like a marigold (tagettes) flower about half an hour after you crush/crumble it up. I keep thinking the word “verdant” and cannot for the life of me put it into a sentence that reads remotely real. Damnit! I think the word lovely and it does indeed conjure in my mind images of the merry growth spurt that is spring. Now that I’ve thought spring I also get a feeling from Patchouli Intense that is a lot like holding baby budgerigars when you are hand rearing them, they get a particular powdery, earthy, clean, alive smell as their feathers start to fuzz up. Though Patchouli Intense doesn’t smell like that, the feeling, the essence of the experience feels remarkably similar.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Booze? I get a boozy, casual wisp of something alcoholic, maybe dark rum? It coruscates out through the earthy middle ground. I also get almond milk and something a little sweet. As Patchouli Intense dries down it dries out and gets a very lived in feel, a musky, dusky, dusty cooling like the inside of a forgotten attic filled with the scent of the death of books, leather, wood and fabrics. Then it starts to fade and somewhere between 5-6 hours I can no longer smell it at all.

I have found in my three wears that an extra spritz at the 3 hour mark will more than double the fragrant life of Patchouli Intense, I can spritz before dinner, eat, hang, sleep. Then when I wake up in the morning I can smell it all over again, beautiful and sensuous the patchouli and musk have made sexy smell babies. MMMMMMMM

Photo Stolen DeviantArt

Patricia de Nicolai has worked a wonder in this beautifully nuanced, soft but rugged, comfortable scent. It nods vigorously to mens cologne from a bygone era but is smoother, more sophisticated and easier to wear. This is the kind of scent I would have bought my Dad if he was still alive and Mum would have stolen more than half the bottle because it’s so good.

Further reading: Per Fumus
LuckyScent has $65/30ml
Parfum de Nicolai has €153/100ml

The more I wear Patchouli Intense the less masculine it reads to me, this is a totally unisex beauty, if you like a soft friendly patchouli then this could be the one.
Portia x

01/02 Vapeur de Tubéreuse by Julie Massé for Fragrance Republic 2013

February 13, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 14 Comments

Post by Poodle

Hi APJ,

When I was asked to sample a new perfume I jumped at the chance. I’m usually late to the party with most new releases. When I heard it was a tuberose scent my nostrils really perked up. Mmmmmm….. white florals.

01/02 Vapeur de Tubéreuse by Julie Massé for Fragrance Republic 2013

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: rose absolute
Heart: Tuberose absolute
Base: Cocoa résinoïde

Fragrance Republic 01/02 Vapeur de Tubéreuse is without a doubt a white floral but for those of you frightened by the BIG white florals out there, this might be just the ticket. The idea behind the scent was to create something light and airy, two words not usually connected with tuberose, and perfumer Julie Massé succeeded.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Initially there’s a wonderful burst of flowers, white roses, tuberose and a touch of green leaves and stems which keeps it from being too, too much. There’s a fresh, just bloomed quality to it followed by a slight creamy softness. The other listed note is cocoa. I had some trouble really smelling it at first because I was looking for something sweet like hot cocoa. This cocoa is more like unsweetened baking cocoa. It’s there but it’s dry and earthier and seems to keep the flower notes from becoming too sweet or cloying. It wears somewhat linear on me with the cocoa becoming a little more apparent as it dries down.

Even at its most intense point the scent maintains an airy, wispy quality about it. That’s not to say you can’t smell it because you can. It just doesn’t have that heavy quality like some tuberose scents do. If the carnal aspect of tuberose perfumes has scared you in the past, fear not, this one is clean but not soapy. The creaminess of tuberose is there but it’s not overly sweet or heavy. I imagine this perfume would bloom beautifully in warmer weather. Also worth noting, on my scent eating skin I can still smell traces 3 hours later. For a lighter perfume that’s actually quite impressive on me.

Photo Stolen Mehul Antani Flickr

Vapeur de Tuberose isn’t a scent I’d normally be interested in because of that airy quality but, I have to be honest, I like it. Right now it’s well below freezing outside but when I sniff this perfume I think spring or summer and I also think brides. Seriously, this would be a great bridal scent. It’s feminine. It’s a scent that is easy to wear without it wearing you. The wispy quality to it calls to mind a veil of chiffon blowing in a floral scented breeze. It’s not a skin scent but it’s also not going to take over the room.

One other interesting thing to note is that my husband actually said I smelled fabulous. He very rarely comments on my perfumes so Vapeur de Tuberose will be in my rotation to give him a break from smelling my usual incense and woody scents.

Further reading: Chemist In A Bottle
Fragrance Republic has $45/15ml + $95/75ml

Until next time…
hugs
Poodle X

Muscs Koublai Khan by Christopher Sheldrake for Serge Lutens 1998

February 11, 2014 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 34 Comments

Post by Gabriella

So much has been written about this revered yet polarizing fragrance that I debated for quite a while whether it was worth adding my two cents to the conversation. But sometimes a fragrance is so moving and compelling that you just need to write about it. Serge Lutens’ Muscs Koublai Khan is one such fragrance.

Muscs Koublai Khan by Christopher Sheldrake for Serge Lutens 1998

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Civet, castroneum, cistus labdanum, ambergris, Morrocan rose, cumin, ambrette seed (musk mallow), costus root, patchouli

The scent begins with the oft talked about animalic civet blast but I don’t find it nearly as scary or ugly as some reviews would lead me to believe. In fact, this whoosh of unripe skankiness is something that I find quite compelling and thoroughly enjoyable. Muscs Koublai Khan is very much a jolie-laide fragrance: it’s the nerdy, not very good looking guy that you initially dismissed in your early twenties only to find out when you’re 32 that he is he is the crazy, charismatic guy, full of depth, adventure and the one you should have picked all along. As the cliché says, beauty is only skin deep and so it is with this fragrance.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Given that, Muscs Koublai Khan takes some time to unfold its captivating charm completely. All the unwashed notes of the opening do indeed transport the wearer to other worlds and olden times when women and men roamed the land, ready for battle clad in loincloths; invincible in their leathery hirsute armour. The fetid character also transports me back to sometime in my not too distant past, say the late 1970s or early 1980s, when it was still ok for women to have a fur coat. I would go to my Mum’s closet and smell the slightly mildewed aroma of her cast off handbags sitting in garbage bags ready for a garage sale and her mink coat smothered in dry cleaning sheets. The slightly perfumed mothballed aroma of the fur spoke of sparkled nights and unspoken deeds.

Photo Stolen Who Cares? Flickr

Underlying all this unripeness is a blast of cedar and the composition then becomes considerably more sotto voce: all soft honeyed rose and the smell of salty damp skin after a night of passion and romp. Mr M immediately dismissed Muscs Koublai Khan as something rank and I hate to say that most of my close circle of friends would probably have the same aghast reaction. Thus, Muscs Koublai Khan is destined to be a very personal scent for me: one when I choose to shut out my benign petiteness and become a warrior princess: six foot tall, bound in swathes of tight leather and high heels and just completely indestructible.

Photo Stolen DeviantArt

Further reading: Bois de Jasmin and The Non Blonde
Muscs is now back in the Paris Exclusives line, but export spray bottles can still be found online. Amazon has it at $113.99/50ml
Surrender to Chance starts at $4/0.5ml

What’s your take on MKK? Are there any skanky scents you love?

With much love till next time!!

M x

Australian Perfume Junkies

Olfactory Opinions from Oz

Reviews

Harajuku Lovers Wicked Style 2010

Harajuku Lovers Wicked Style 2010

Harajuku Lovers is the perfume brand of the talented Gwen Stefani

Wicked Style G by Christelle Laprade

Wicked Style Love by Maurice Roucel

Wicked Style Lil Angel by Celine Barel

Wicked Style Music by Adriana Medina

Wicked Style Baby by Honorine Blanc

U4eahh! 2.43 by Yosh Han for Yosh

U4eahh! 2.43 by Yosh Han for Yosh

Fleur d'Oranger 27 by Francoise Caron for Le Labo 2006

Fleur d’Oranger 27 by Francoise Caron for Le Labo 2006

Absolue Pour Le Soir by Maison Francis Kurkdjian 2010

Absolue Pour Le Soir by Maison Francis Kurkdjian 2010

L'Eau d'Ambree by Daniela (Roche) Andrier for Prada 2009

Lovely by Laurent Le Guernec and Clement Gavarry for Sarah Jessica Parker 2005

Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker 2005

Laurent Le Guernec and Clement Gavarry

Stella by Jacques Cavallier for Stella McCartney 2003

Stella by Jacques Cavallier for Stella McCartney 2003

Patchouli Intense by Patricia de Nicolai for Parfums de Nicolaï 2009

Patchouli Intense by Patricia de Nicolai for Parfums de Nicolaï 2009

01/02 Vapeur de Tubéreuse by Julie Massé for Fragrance Republic 2013

01/02 Vapeur de Tubéreuse by Julie Massé for Fragrance Republic 2013

Muscs Koublai Khan by Christopher Sheldrake for Serge Lutens 1998

Muscs Koublai Khan by Christopher Sheldrake for Serge Lutens 1998